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phases

[feyz]

Origin

noun

any of the major appearances or aspects in which a thing of varying modes or conditions manifests itself to the eye or mind.

a stage in a process of change or development: Each phase of life brings its own joys.

a side, aspect, or point of view: This is only one phase of the question.

a state of synchronous operation: to put two mechanisms in phase.

Astronomy.

the particular appearance presented by the moon or a planet at a given time.

one of the recurring appearances or states of the moon or a planet in respect to the form, or the absence, of its illuminated disk: the phases of the moon.

EXPAND

Zoology. color phase.

Chemistry. a mechanically separate, homogeneous part of a heterogeneous system: the solid, liquid, and gaseous phases of a system.

Physics. a particular stage or point of advancement in a cycle; the fractional part of the period through which the time has advanced, measured from some arbitrary origin often expressed as an angle (phase angle), the entire period being taken as 360°.

COLLAPSE

verb (used with object)

to schedule or order so as to be available when or as needed.

10.

to put in phase; synchronize: to phase one mechanism with another.

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Phases is always a great word to know.

So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:

a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

a fool or simpleton; ninny.

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Verb phrases

11.

phase down, to reduce by gradual stages.

12.

phase in, to put or come into use gradually; incorporate by degrees: to phase in new machinery.

13.

phase out, to bring or come to an end gradually; ease out of service: to phase out obsolescent machinery.

Origin:
1805–15; (noun) back formation from phases, plural of phasis

Related forms

phase·less, adjective

pha·sic, pha·se·al, adjective

re·phase, verb (used with object) -phased, -phas·ing.

sub·phase, noun

un·phased, adjective

Can be confused: faze, phase.

Synonyms
1. form, shape; facet, side.

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun, plural -ses

[-seez] .

a manner, stage, or aspect of being; phase.

Origin:
1650–60; < Neo-Latin < Greek phásis appearance, equivalent to pha- (base of phaínein to show) + -sis -sis

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To phases

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

phase

1812, "phase of the moon," back-formed as a sing. from Mod.L. phases, pl. of phasis, from Gk. phasis "appearance" (of a star), "phase" (of the moon), from stem of phainein "to show, to make appear" (see phantasm). L. sing. phasis was used in Eng. from 1660. Non-lunar application

EXPAND

is first attested 1841. Meaning "temporary difficult period" (especially of adolescents) is attested from 1913. The verb meaning "to synchronize" is from 1938, from the noun.

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

phase (fāz)
n.

A characteristic form, appearance, or stage of development that occurs in a cycle or that distinguishes some individuals of a group.
A discrete homogeneous part of a material system that is mechanically separable from the rest, as is ice from water.
Any of the forms or states, solid, liquid, gas, or plasma, in which matter can exist, depending on temperature and pressure.
A particular stage in a periodic process or phenomenon such as a wave form or time pattern.

v. phased, phas·ing, phas·es
To introduce, one stage at a time.

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

phase (fāz) Pronunciation Key

Any of the forms, recurring in cycles, in which the Moon or a planet appears in the sky.
One of a set of possible homogenous, discrete states of a physical system. States of matter such as solid and liquid are examples of phases, as are different crystal lattice structures in metals such as iron. See also phase transition , state of matter.
A measure of how far some cyclic behavior, such as wave motion, has proceeded through its cycle, measured in degrees or radians. At the beginning of the phase, its value is zero; at one quarter of its cycle, its phase is 90 degrees (π/2 radians); halfway through the cycle its value is 180 degrees (π radians), and so on. ◇ The phase angle between two waves is a measure of their difference in phase. Two waves of the same frequency that are perfectly in phase have phase angle zero; if one wave is ahead of the other by a quarter cycle, its phase angle 90 degrees (π/2 radians); waves that are perfectly out of phase have phase angle 180 degrees (π radians), and so on. See more at wave.

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Matching Quote

"A man's liberal and conservative phases seem to follow each other in a succession of waves from the time he is born. Children are radicals. Youths are conservatives, with a dash of criminal negligence. Men in their prime are liberals (as long as their digestion keeps pace with their intellect). The middle aged ... run to shelter: they insure their life, draft a will, accumulate mementos and occasional tables, and hope for security. And then comes old age, which repeats childhood—a time full of humors and sadness, but often full of courage and even prophecy."

-E.B. White

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phases

phase

pha·sis